We are a small business with about 45-50 workstations if we count our machine shop. We don't use volume licensing on Windows or Office and just buy workstations and/or software as needed. We already have three Windows 8 PC's in the office.

While we do not expect to need a lot of Windows Store applications right away, to download free and useful apps (like Remote Desktop), it needs a Microsoft Account. While the single user can use their own, it may get kind of messy. And a single Microsoft Account is limited to 5 (?) PC's for app installing.

What is the solution for a small business to have a unified Microsoft Account so we can get a few of the needed "Modern" apps?

Any solution? We have put a few Win8 machines out but just got the CEO and another exec the new Surface Pro 2. They want apps and i am not sure the best way to do this. Dont want to be responsible for setting up personal MS Accounts. Also, we are moving towards a SharePoint Online environment using O365 using ADFS and wonder if that will allow the domain email to act as the account and sync with the AD password?

As usual, if you're stuck in the middle - not a home user or without hundreds of desktops - you're left to struggle on your own.

We've just had the first machine that has to stay on Win 8, this Windows Store malarky is ridiculous and the dearth of information from Microsoft is awful. I've no idea how best to set things up. Certainly don't want users to have an account associated with a company credit card... or even their own... and we really don't want them to be able to load any old app they like.

This person is a verified professional.

As usual, if you're stuck in the middle - not a home user or without hundreds of desktops - you're left to struggle on your own.

We've just had the first machine that has to stay on Win 8, this Windows Store malarky is ridiculous and the dearth of information from Microsoft is awful. I've no idea how best to set things up. Certainly don't want users to have an account associated with a company credit card... or even their own... and we really don't want them to be able to load any old app they like.

Precisely why I've stopped all remaining Windows 8x rollouts here...THE STORE. For businesses, there should be no requirement for a Microsoft Account for FREE and business related STORE apps.

This person is a verified professional.

One solution is to use Active Directory coupled with AD online for free w/Microsoft, especially since one of it's primary target audiences is business O365 users. Active Directory Online is free and will help keep all of the individual accounts under a single main account tree tied to O365 (in which you can create all the company sub-accounts that would also enable them to use the Windows Store by proxy because they would all be individual Microsoft Accounts under the single business account).

There will always be accounts required for online stores because free or not, the apps are tied to accounts just like on every other similar app-store platform (ala Android Play Store, Amazon Marketplace, and Apple App Store). It's not a free or not-free thing, it's a physical region thing because some apps are flat out not allowed for distribution in some countries/regions that are in others. The companies that run the stores must determine the users' region/country before they can allow them to download software.. because the available selection legally changes based upon the response of the user (and they are responsible unless the user lies about their region).

This person is a verified professional.

Sorry to double-post, but I did want to also mention that O365 is not necessary to set up AD syncing from an on-premises AD to AD online, hosted by Microsoft. It's easier to finagle some things that way, but ultimately not necessary and it will solve your Windows Store accounts issue. It's one of the many things that AD was designed (or in this case, Microsoft planning a solution) for, with the trick being just knowing that that was the solution that they crafted for the situation.

1

This topic has been locked by an administrator and is no longer open for commenting.